Gandhinagar: The Gujarat assembly has passed a bill to amend the prohibition act , empowering the govt to auction vehicles used to transport liquor and other intoxicants even before a court pronounces its final order in the case. This decision was made with a majority vote despite opposition from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the suspension of all Congress MLAs for the day. The Gujarat Prohibition (Amendment) Bill, 2024, revises Section 98(2) of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, 1949.
Vehicles seized in prohibition cases currently cannot be released until a court pronounces its final order in the case. With the amendment, the govt will be able to auction such vehicles with the permission of a court. The bill specifies that a deputy superintendent of police will be the competent authority responsible for conducting these auctions.
Minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi, while tabling the bill, assured that if the court later acquits the accused, the govt will refund the vehicle’s auctioned value along with 5% interest to the owner. This bill replaces the Gujarat Prohibition (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024, which was introduced in July. The statement of objects of the bill said, “Vehicles so confiscated cannot be returned to the owners and they remain unused in the police station or in the court compound till the final judgment of the case and in these circumstances, the condition of the vehicles becomes deteriorated.
To overcome this situation, the state govt considers it necess.